Electrically conductive compositions and methods for the preparation and use thereof

A method for preparing a printed circuit, comprising:

• applying a conductive ink composition comprising a solder powder, a high melting metal powder, and a cross-linking agent mixture comprising a chemically protected cross-linking agent with fluxing properties onto a substrate in a desired pattern to provide a patterned substrate;
• rapidly heating the patterned substrate to a temperature at or near the melting point of the solder powder for a period of time sufficient to activate the chemically protected cross-linking agent, whereby the chemically-protected cross-linking agent reacts with the high melting metal powder;
• and
• heating the patterned substrate to a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to cure the composition, wherein the high melting metal powder is selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, aluminum, gold, platinum, palladium, beryllium, rhodium, nickel, cobalt, iron, molybdenum and alloys thereof, the solder powder is selected from the group consisting of Sn, Bi, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ca, In, Te, Hg, TI, Sb, Se, Po, alloys thereof and other metals having a melting point lower than that of the high melting metal powder, and the composition comprises 6-29% by volume of the solder powder, 13-38% by volume of the high melting metal powder, 0-15% by volume of the resin, 30-52% by volume of the cross-linking agent mixture and 0-32% by volume of the reactive monomer or polymer.